Sorption behavior of niobium onto clay minerals in the presence of Ca

Ohira, Saki  ; Iida, Yoshihisa 

The sorption distribution coefficient (d) of niobium-94 (Nb-94) on minerals is one of the important parameters in safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal. In a previous study, the d values of Nb under alkali condition in the presence of Ca, were two orders of magnitude higher than those in the presence of Na. In this study, Nb sorption experiments were performed to reexamine the effect of Ca on Nb sorption on clay minerals, and blank tests were performed to check for precipitation formation. The results showed that the Nb sorption onto montmorillonite and illite, did not depend on the Ca concentration, and d values obtained in the presence of Ca were the same as those in the absence of Ca. A sorption model assuming sorption by complexation on the mineral surface was developed and then calculated using the geochemical calculation code. The model with the surface species X_ONb(OH) and X_ONb(OH) represented trends in the data obtained.